The Commonwealth is at a crossroads, but rather than dwelling on the past it should work towards generating development and growth, the Prime Minister said yesterday, as the flag was hoisted to mark Commonwealth Day.

Dr Muscat said the Commonwealth brought together different ideas and disparate opinions. The organisation was not without its limitations but despite it all, it managed to be steadfast in promoting the principles of democracy and good governance while deriving its strength from diversity.

Malta, he said, was “thrilled” at the news that the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall would be attending the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in November.

Malta will continue to support the continued evolution of the Commonwealth as a major player on the international stage – a compelling force for good, promoting partnership and development on a global level, Dr Muscat added.

Commenting on the theme ‘A Young Commonwealth’, Foreign Affairs Minister George Vella said the number of people aged 29 and below accounted for the majority in the Commonwealth. The Malta meeting was important in light of ambitious projects like defining a new global development framework and a new global climate change agreement.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.